Steel post



R. w. OLMSTED STEEL POST Filed March 18, 1946 x h WH IH E IH B m M w I I HHHMH w l l I I l I l l l I Ill H LHW llllllllllll Ilh Dec. 27, 1949 INVENTOR. ROGER W. OLMSTED ATTORNEY.

BYYKGA I IIIIII'I Patented Dec. 27, 1949 STEEL POST Roger W. Olmsted, San Mateo, Calif.; Wells Fargo Bank & Union Trust 00., administrator of said Roger W. Olmsted, deceased, assignor to Lillian W. Olmsted, San Mateo, Calif.

Application March 18, 1946, Serial No. 655,261

This invention relates to outdoor billboards or large advertising signs, and has to do with the supporting structure therefor.

More particularly the invention comprises an improved construction in a steel post, generally four of which are used to support the standard large size billboard.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved steel post for the purpose mentioned which will be both light and strong, which can be cheaply and quickly produced in quantity from sheet steel, a post easily handled manually on account of its flange formation, and a post which, with its foundation tube provides for various heights of mounting the signboard with a standardized set of bolt holes, or for installa tions on uneven ground.

Other features and advantages of the post and its mounting will appear in the following description and accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the lower half of a steel post made in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 1a shows the upper half of the post of Fig. 1, also in front elevation.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the portion of the post shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 2a is a side view of the portion of the post shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 3 is a cross section of the post as seen from the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. I

Fig. 4 is a cross section of the post as seen from the line 4-4 of Fig. 112.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the lower end of a post showing a modified form of construction from that of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a cross section of Fig. 5 as seen along the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is an elevation partly in section of the lower portion of one of my posts showing the post erected in its tubular ground extension.

Fig. 8 is a cross section of Fig. '7 taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Before describing the drawings in detail it may be stated that my improvements comprise a steel post made of sheet metal by braking or otherwise bending or forming the sheet metal into tapered special channel form. Two such channel-bars are secured together as by welding or riveting, and a base plate 5 similarly attached so as to cooperate with a tubular extension which is driven into or otherwise embedded in the earth, and filled with sand or earth and preferably stabilized by concrete or cement collars. The post is provided with a standardized arrangement 0! bolt I 1 Claim. (01. 189-25) holes for securing the standardized sign or billboards in place. The special construction and erection lends itself not only to quick and easy installation but also to dismantling of the signboards, as they are frequently taken down or removed to other locations.

In the drawings, and with reference to Figs. 1 to '4 the post comprises two sheet steel channels i0, i0 placed back to back in spaced downwardly diverging relation.

The channels are preferably made of galvanized sheet steel bent, as by a sheet metal workers brake, or otherwise formed substantially to the shape of a square letter C in cross section, (as shown in the cross sections Figs. 3 and 4). Each comprises a back web A, two side walls B, each with a return bend or reentrant flange or outer edge C. It should be noted that the outer corners are all slightly rounded from the bending operations, so that the channels are smooth to handle manually and have no sharp corners to injure the workmans hands in erecting or removing them.

In the construction of Figs. 1 to 4 the channels are of uniform depth of side walls for their'full length, but their back walls or webs A are tapered to smaller breadth toward the upper end of the post as shown in Figs. 2 and 2a.

Also to be noted is that channel in is about a fourth shorter than channel ill and is welded to it at H or riveted or otherwise firmly secured to it, and the channels I0 and ID are from this point downward gradually spread apart to the lower end of the post where they are secured in spread apart relation, as by welding or otherwise, to a flat bottom or foot plate i2, also preferably of sheet metal and formed with upwardly bent margins l3 embracing opposite side walls of the channels as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

The tapering space M is open for about third the length of channel Ill to the point i5 and from this point down to the lower end of the post the tapering space is filled with a steel plate l6 preferably cut to fit and welded along its edges to the channels as at ii and as well to the bottom plate i2.

Foot plate I2 is provided with one or more drainage holes [8 positioned between the spread apart webs A of the channels.

Spaced along the front legs of the channels are holes is arranged in a predetermined spacing to receive bolts for holding a standardized large size signboard or panel, not shown.

In the modified construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6, all features are the same as explained for Figs. 1 to 4 except that the two channels l and ID are not spaced, but are placed in contact back to back as indicated at 20 in Figs. 5 and 6 and are secured together as by riveting and/or welding along the juncture as at 2|.

In Figs. '7 and 8, the post of Fig. 1 is shown erected in. its tubularv ground extension 22, which comprisesa tubularsteel shell, such as;a.shor.t length of well casing of an internal size to freely receive the foot plate dimension of the post for. supporting it at any desired height to compensate for lower ground at one or more post posi;- tions, or at all posts when itis desired to raise the elevation of the sign boardv above what it. would be if the posts were simply erecteddirectly in the earth.

When using the tubular extension, the open ended pipe or casing 22 is firmlyplanted in-the earth 23 a sufficient distance to make.- a good foundation, preferably by forming a snug fitting hole as withv a post-hole auger and thereafter driving the. casing down the. desired distance; or otherwise firmly imbedding the lower portion of the;casing.. The. earth is compacted about. the casing andlpreferably formedwith adepression or sump about it which is. filled witha button. or collar. 24. of fast. setting concrete slightly rounded. above the earth to divert rain water.

The. postis supported withinthe casing. ona sand, gravel, or hard earth filling 25.0r. mixture of. theseata. depth to yield the desired. height of. thepost, and the. fi11ing25iis continued up..the sides of the post as at 25 in Figs. '7 and'8. to withinashort distance-of the upper endofthe. casing. A sealing cap 26 of cement-sandmixture. is-placed-on top to. both brace thepost against lateral movement as well as to keep out Water;

Generally. the space within the. spread apart. channels. H1, H1 may be left open aslittle or no rain willgain entrance and what does-is free toldrain out below through hole l8, tho-itlis obvious thatthe. welding at l5 at the upper'endsof the side plates 16 may be enough toclose 011: the upper.v end of the space if desired.

In installations wherethe sign boards.- are.

shielded. from. high winds, or the maximum.

lateral stiffness of the posts is not required,,the;- simpler structure of Figs; 5 and-6 is-used; and;

which has; no space between its oppositely, directed-post'channels Ill, I 0.

Indismounting' the posts they may bexseparately pulled over to fall, preferably after breaking away the concrete 24 (if any) and if necessary loosening the earth about the casing, and the casing removed by cracking out the cement cap 26.

Since Fig. 5 shows only the lower end of the postthe sign. attaching, holes are.not shown, but it is: understood that suitable holes. for attaching the sign board or panel are also provided.

Having thus described my improved construction in a steel post, especially adapted for large advertising billboard supporting structures, what I claim is:

A post. comprising a pair of substantially straight; channel bars secured together in back to backtrelation; said channel bars being formed of sheet steel bent to channel form, one of said channel bars being'shorter than the other and diverging downwardly from the other to a maximum separation at the foot of the post, means at the upper end of said shorter channel bar securing the channel barsin. abutting relation, .a transverse metal plate at the.foot= of thepost secured to said channel bars. and holding them in spaced'relation, said. plate. defining a. lowermost. bearing surface for. said post, and filler plates substantially closing the. edgesof the space between said channel bars and: being secured thereto to define. with said channelv bars a'rigid tapered. boxlike structure.

ROGER W. OLMSTED;

REFERENCES. CITED.

The-following.referencesare of record in-the file. of. this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name. Date- 1,018,754- Ford -Feb. 27, 1912' 1,371,727 Blickle .Mar. 16; 1921 1,470,174 Lachman Oct. 9, 1923 1,472,897 Anderson Nov. 6, 1923' 1,799,314 Pfafi Apr. 7, 1931" 1,991,087: Falcon Feb. 12, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 577,547 France 1924 668,549 France 1929 739,006 France 1932 782,133 France 1935" 

